Driver’s moment of terror as motorcyclist taps on his window at high speed and tells him to stop texting with BOTH HANDS
- Motorcyclist on a freeway taps on the window of a driver using a mobile phone
- The high-speed interaction startled the driver, who had both hands on his phone
- People commenting on the video mostly supported the bike rider’s actions
- Some thought the rider was being unsafe himself and was acting like ‘a cop’
- Queensland, NSW and Victoria now use overhead cameras to detect mobile use
A driver appearing to text on his phone with both hands got the fright of his life when a passing motorcyclist tapped on his window to tell him to stop.
The high-speed manoeuvre drew both praise and criticism when it appeared in a compilation video on the Dash Cam Owners Australia Youtube feed.
In the clip the motorcyclist can be seen veering quickly to the driver’s window as they both travel along a freeway.
The biker then taps three times quickly on the window and points at the man’s mobile phone, which the driver appears to be holding in both hands as he writes a text.
The startled driver looks up at the bike rider but it’s not clear he stops texting as the motorcyclist refocuses on joining his riding partner on the road ahead.
The majority of people commenting on the video thought the rider’s actions were perfectly justified.
‘That motorcyclist is a legend. Drivers using their phones without a hands-free system are a menace on the roads,’ one person commented on the clip.
‘I can’t believe how many drivers I see using their phone when I’m out on the bike,’ another responded.
‘Sitting higher up gives you a good view as you go past, especially those who are holding it just above their right knee, thinking no-one can tell what they’re doing.’
But some others thought the motorcyclist had compromised road safety by performing the public service.
‘Yeah but it’s safe to ride up and knock on someone’s window on the freeway,’ one person wrote sarcastically. ‘Just beep your horn or keep riding, ya hero.’
‘Unless that rider is a cop, he should mind his own business,’ commented another.
The motorcyclist tapped three times quickly on the window and pointed at the man’s mobile phone, which the driver appeared to be holding in both hands as he wrote a text
The startled driver looks up at the bike rider but it’s not clear he stops texting as the motorcyclist refocuses on joining his riding partner on the road ahead
Many more people, however, noticed the silver sedan driver’s act was illegal.
‘Roll out them [sic] cameras to catch people on their phones, hammer out fines and raise that revenue,’ one man posted.
With only minor differences it is illegal in all states and territories of Australia to have your mobile phone touching any part of your body while driving, except when passing it to a passenger.
Fines and demerit points apply to those using a phone while driving.
A mobile can only be used if the device is secured in a commercially designed holder that is fixed to the vehicle and does not obscure the driver’s view of the road, or through hands-free methods such Bluetooth and voice activation.
Queensland recently joined NSW and Victoria in installing hi-tech overheads cameras on major roads that use artificial intelligence to detect mobile phone use by drivers.
In their first week of operation the cameras captured 1,504 mobile phone offences, with 57 drivers caught two or more times in the first four days.
The state also announced a penalty of four demerit points and a fine of $1,033 for using a phone while driving.
In Victoria, drivers face a penalty of four demerit points and a $545 fine, while in NSW a driver using a mobile can be given five demerit points and a $352, or $469 if the driver is caught using a phone in a school zone.